Biography

Ferrucio Ferragamo is president of Salvatore Ferragamo and chairman of its board. The eldest son of Italy’s most iconic cobbler oversaw his father’s company’s initial public offering in 2011, and continues to manage the overall brand and its operations. Ferragamo directly operates 338 stores and, with the inclusion of franchise stores and other distribution outlets, is sold in 90 countries.

One of luxury’s most established players, the Salvatore Ferragamo brand specialises in measured elegance, selling footwear, leather goods, clothing, silk products, leather accessories and fragrances for men and women, all of which are made in Italy. "It's very important to remain what you are," Ferragamo told The Australian. "We have gone through trends or periods where, you know, our products were maybe too conservative versus the market that was very trendy or fashion forward. But we have always tried to follow the trends of the market but never be too extreme. We have treasured the fundamentals of the company.”

Ferragamo has ensured his family legacy will remain intact by giving it relevance and always looking forward. "Yes, we are very lucky. I think we have everything that we would like and we thank God every day. But we also realise that you need to look ahead and think, 'what does our customer want tomorrow?' and 'how is the market turning, how is the world turning?'”

Although the company is public, the Ferragamo family still owns a large stake in the business and oversee management and operations. Ferrucio Ferragamo's son, James Ferragamo, is currently the director of women's leather products.